The Children’s Movement of Florida, a group of prominent leaders across the state who care about the future of children, is gaining momentum.

The non-partisan, citizen-led organization is hosting a series of “Milk Party” rallies in various cities (click here to read more). Alliance members are encouraged to attend and invite patients and their families.

The top two priorities of the Children’s Movement are right in line with those of the Alliance: making sure children have access to health insurance; and screening, treatment and services for healthy child development.

Below is a schedule of the Milk Party rallies.

Monday, Sept. 6 (Labor Day) - Pensacola
Time: 10 to 11 a.m. - Doors open at 9:30 a.m.
Location: Pensacola High School
Contact: Audra Carter - audra.carter@childrensmovementflorida.org

Tuesday, Sept. 7 - Panama City
Time: 9 to 10 a.m. (Community Discussion)
Location: Bay District Schools Headquarters
Contact: Margaret Tidmore - tidmoma@bay.k12.fl.us

Tuesday, Sept. 7 - Tallahassee
Time: 6 to 7 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center
Contact: David Abrams - david.abrams@childrensmovementflorida.org

Wednesday, Sept. 8 - Gainesville and Ocala
Time: 6 to 7 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Santa Fe College
Contact: David Abrams - david.abrams@childrensmovementflorida.org

Monday, Sept. 13 - Daytona Beach (Volusia and Flagler Counties)
Time: 6 to 7 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Mainland High School Performing Arts Center
Contact: Leah Shepherd - leah.shepherd@childrensmovementflorida.org

Tuesday, Sept. 14 - Orlando and Kissimmee
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. - Doors open at 6 p.m.
Location: Dr. Phillips High School
Contact: Leah Shepherd - leah.shepherd@childrensmovementflorida.org

Wednesday, Sept. 15 - Treasure Coast (St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River Counties)
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. - Doors open at 6 p.m.
Location: Fort Pierce Central High School
Contact: Kerline Boursiquot - kerline.boursiquot@childrensmovementflorida.org

Thursday, Sept. 16 - Tampa
Time: 6 to 7 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo
Contact: Adam Brown - adam.brown@childrensmovementflorida.org

Friday, Sept. 17 - Lakeland
Time: 10 a.m. to noon - Doors open at 9:30 a.m. (Mini-rally)
Location: Common Ground Park
Contact: Shawna Butler - shawna.butler@uwcf.org

Monday, Sept. 20 - St. Petersburg
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. - Doors open at 6 p.m.
Location: Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg
Contact: Adam Brown - adam.brown@childrensmovementflorida.org

Tuesday, Sept. 21 - Sarasota and Bradenton
Time: 6 to 7 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Riverview High School
Contact: Cheray Keyes-Shima - cheray.shima@childrensmovementflorida.org
Seana Mincy - seana.mincy@childrensmovementflorida.org

Wednesday, Sept. 22 - Naples and Fort Myers
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. - Doors open at 6 p.m.
Location: Seacrest Country Day School
Contact: Becky Newell - becky.newell@childrensmovementflorida.org

Thursday, Sept. 23 - West Palm Beach
Time: 6 to 7 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: The Harriet Himmel Theater at CityPlace
Contact: Kerline Boursiquot - kerline.boursiquot@childrensmovementflorida.org

Monday, Sept. 27 - Jacksonville
Time: 6 to 7 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Ritz Theatre & La Villa Museum
Contact: Amy Rankin - arankin@smag.com

Tuesday, Sept. 28 - Ft. Lauderdale and Broward
Time: 7 to 8 p.m. - Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Bailey Concert Hall at Broward College (Central Campus)
Contact: Pam Gadinsky - pam.gadinsky@childrensmovementflorida.org

Wednesday, Sept. 29 - Miami-Dade County
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. - Doors open at 6 p.m.
Location: Miami-Dade County Auditorium
Contact: John Knight - john.knight@childrensmovementflorida.org

Thursday, Sept. 30 - Key West
Time: 6 to 7 p.m. - Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Key West High School
Contact: Kelli Brower - kelli.brower@childrensmovementflorida.org

The first ever gubernatorial debate to focus solely on the future of Florida’s children will be held next month at the University of Miami and organizers expect both Democrat Alex Sink and Republican Rick Scott to participate.

Working as partners with UM, the Children’s Movement of Florida said Wednesday they will host the Oct. 16 debate, which will be broadcast statewide on television and on the Internet.

In a conference call with reporters, David Lawrence Jr., co-chairman of The Children’s Movement of Florida and former Miami Herald publisher, said he has spoken extensively with Sink and Scott about children’s issues.

Sink told Lawrence that she intends to participate, while Republican Rick Scott is still in talks with organizers.

“You would think this is the first debate (Scott) would want to do,” said Lawrence. “I can’t believe he wouldn’t accept.”

Lawrence said the idea of a gubernatorial debate about children’s issues is historic and long overdue in Florida.

“Florida consistently ranks at or near the bottom in measure after measure of how we invest in our children - the time has come to change that,” he said.

The event is open to the public. Organizers expect an audience of 3,000 parents, children’s advocates and other supporters of the Children’s Movement of Florida.

The focus of the debate will be on five issues:

• Access to health insurance and quality health care.
• Screening and treatment for special needs.
• Quality pre-kindergarten opportunities.
• High-quality mentoring programs.
• Support and information for parents.

The panel for the debate will consist of Lawrence, former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings and Bob Butterworth, former Florida attorney general and former secretary of the state’s Department of Children & Families.

No public funds are being used by the Children’s Movement of Florida, which has raised nearly $1 million in donations from foundations and private contributors.

The web page is http://ahca.myflorida.com/Medicaid/childhealthservices/therapyserv/index.shtml

Or click here.

The web page will include information on a number of items such as handbooks, therapy provider meeting notices, access to provider alerts and area office contact information.

In addition, this page also features a Therapy Services Mailbox for questions about Medicaid therapies.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 24, 2010

Contact: Laura Goodhue, Executive Director, Florida CHAIN 561-972-4090 Miriam Harmatz, Senior Attorney, Florida Legal Services 305-573-0092 ext. 206; 786-853-9385

Lawsuit Filed to Increase Transparency in
Medicaid Managed Care

MIAMI– Holland and Knight Partners Sandy Bohrer and Scott Ponce, along with Miriam Harmatz of Florida Legal Services, filed a lawsuit today in Miami Dade Circuit Court alleging that a Medicaid HMO subcontractor is refusing to comply with the state’s public records law.

The defendant, Therapy Review Systems (TRS), receives public funds to provide medically necessary therapy services to children on Medicaid. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Florida CHAIN (Community Health Action Network), a not-for-profit grass roots organization that works on issues relating to low income access to health care.

For the last year Florida CHAIN and Florida Legal Servcies (FLS) have been unsuccessfully attempting to obtain public records from TRS. The requests relate to the percentage of public money that TRS actually spent on health care services compared to the amount spent on administrative costs, including salaries and profits. This percentage is also referred to as “medical loss ratio” or (”MLR”).

According to Laura Goodhue, Executive Director of CHAIN, the lawsuit underscores the need for MLR requirements since they “help ensure transparency and accountability. Further, it is critical that sick and impoverished Florida Medicaid recipients receive medically necessary care from their HMOs. If the HMOs or their subcontractors are spending more than 15% or 20% of the public dollars they receive for administrative and profit related expenses, they are simply not going to have enough money to cover necessary direct health care services.”

Although the recent federal health reform legislation requires that insurance companies in the private market spend between 80% and 85% of premium dollars on direct care for enrollees, it does not specifically apply to Medicaid HMOs.

While TRS claims that they are not subject to the state’s public records law since they contract with a Medicaid HMO rather than directly with the state, FLS attorney Miriam Harmatz states that “consumers and taxpayers have a right to know that public dollars devoted to Medicaid services for low income Floridians are actually being spent on health care services. The Public Records Act should not be circumvented because the HMO delegated its responsibility to provide medically necessary therapy services to another private contractor.”

Lead Counsel Sandy Bohrer and Scott Ponce, both of whom are experts on Florida’s Public Records Act, took the case pro bono.

Times-Union
Aug. 22

By Brandon Larrabee

TALLAHASSEE - With state budget-writers likely to face a shortfall of $6 billion or more in the next budget year, the incoming governor is likely to face the question of how to control Medicaid spending.

The state-federal program, which provides health care for low-income Floridians, is consuming an ever higher share of state spending. Legislative figures show Medicaid spending growing from 18 percent of the state budget in the 1998-99 fiscal year to 26 percent in 2009-10. It’s projected to reach 36 percent in a decade.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott has proposed creating a voucher system that would allow recipients to buy their own insurance. His opponent, Attorney General Bill McCollum, plans to create savings through better managed care.

Some efforts to rein in the cost in Florida are already under way. Former Gov. Jeb Bush pushed through a Medicaid reform pilot program based on managed care, implemented in 2006 for Duval and Broward counties and in 2007 for Baker, Clay and Nassau counties.

The Legislature will also have a say on the way forward, and lawmakers balked at expanding that program in 2011, when it was tentatively slated to go statewide. House leaders wanted a plan that would have eventually brought the entire state’s Medicaid population into a revamped version of the managed-care system; senators pushed an extension of Bush’s reform plan to 19 additional counties. Some advocates are nervous about expanding the plan.

The proposal from the Scott campaign would be a fundamental shift in how care is provided.

“Rick would like to seek a Medicaid waiver in order to allow Florida to create a voucher program in which Medicaid recipients would be able to shop for insurance in the private market and purchase an insurance option that fits their needs,” said Trey Stapleton, a campaign spokesman.

Senators approved, allowing the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration to seek a waiver in their budget for the current fiscal year, but it was ultimately left out of the compromise spending plan with the House.

“If we were not able get that waiver, Rick would seek to expand, statewide, the current Medicaid reform pilot program that was created by Gov. Bush in 2005,” Stapleton said.

The Scott campaign points to a study by researchers at the University of Florida that suggests the program cut costs and improved outcomes.

Combined with changes to health care for state employees, the Scott campaign estimates his plan will save taxpayers $1.8 billion.

Figures by legislative staff compiled in the run-up to the past legislative session seem to suggest that care coordinated either by doctors or managed-care providers can reduce costs. Patients with coordinated care cost the state an average of $3,479 in 2008, compared with an average of $13,320 for those outside of the programs.

Those results are at the heart of McCollum’s plan.

“Better coordination through a primary care physician not only prevents the duplication of services but also the use of unnecessary services,” the attorney general says in his health care blueprint.

McCollum also lays out a half-dozen “principles” for his plan, from providing choices to Medicaid patients to measuring medical results and rewarding patients who take steps to manage their health. He also pledges not to cut rates to medical providers and says cost savings for health care plans should be shared with doctors.

The Florida Medical Association, which endorsed McCollum, has praised his plan - particularly the attention paid to providers’ rates.

“The Attorney General’s health care plan addresses Florida’s low Medicaid reimbursement rates, which have limited physicians’ ability to participate in the program,” Tim Stapleton, the FMA’s executive vice president, said in a statement when McCollum’s plan was released.

McCollum also promises to crack down on Medicaid fraud.

brandon.larrabee@jacksonville.com, (678) 977-3709

The meeting is the first of what we hope will be quarterly meetings with the agency.

Details of the Sept. 1 meeting as listed in Florida Administrative Weekly: 

AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION
Medicaid   The Agency for Health Care Administration announces a public meeting to which all persons are invited.

DATE AND TIME: Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon
PLACE: Agency for Health Care Administration, 2727 Mahan Drive, Building 3, Conference Room A, Tallahassee, FL 32308
GENERAL SUBJECT MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED: Florida Medicaid is holding a public forum to discuss subjects related to the Therapy Services program. The Agency will discuss proposed and recent changes to the Therapy Services program.

A copy of the meeting agenda will be posted on the Agency for Health Care Administration website at http://ahca.myflorida.com/Medicaid/childhealthservices/therapyserv/index.shtml.   If you would like to attend, or request a copy of the agenda, please contact: John Loar, Therapy Services Program Analyst, Agency for Health Care Administration, Bureau of Medicaid Services, 2727 Mahan Drive, Mail Stop 20, Tallahassee, Florida 32308 or email: john.loar@ahca.myflorida.com.

A copy of the agenda may be obtained by contacting: John Loar, Therapy Services Program Analyst, Agency for Health Care Administration, Bureau of Medicaid Services, 2727 Mahan Drive, Mail Stop 20, Tallahassee, Florida 32308 or email: john.loar@ahca.myflorida.com.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this workshop/meeting is asked to advise the agency at least 48 hours before the workshop/meeting by contacting: John Loar, Bureau of Medicaid Services at (850)412-4222. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1(800)955-8771 (TDD) or 1(800)955-8770 (Voice).

From the Coalition of McKay Scholarship Schools:

Under a new law, private school students who have attended public school since 2005 — but have not received state funds — can qualify for McKay Scholarships.

Also, students who have a current IEP, have a disability and can be identified through Child Find are also eligible for the scholarships, regardless of whether they attended a public school last year.

To learn more about the new law, go the the Coalition’s website at www.mckaycoalition.com.

The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) has published 15 new CELL practice guides with adaptations for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, which show how to adapt early literacy activities so that young children with disabilities can participate. The guides can be used by practitioners or parents, or by parents in collaboration with practitioners. They describe everyday home, community, and childcare learning opportunities that encourage early literacy learning. All are available online at http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/pg_tier2.php

The surveys are being conducted by the Ounce of Prevention Fund as part of a much longer study into the long-term viability of Early Steps. The study commissioned by the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, is scheduled to be completed by November (click here to read more).

The Alliance for Pediatric Therapies thanks the Ounce of Prevention Fund for the opportunity to provide much-needed input about the program and its challenges.

The Alliance advocates a program that recognizes and respects therapy providers and their role in providing needed services to children before the age of 3.

There has been some discussion about the state dropping the program along with the federal strings that are attached — such as the requirement that children receive services in their “natural environment.” The travel costs alone hinder the program’s ability to serve the thousands of kids that qualify for services.

A new report by Child Trends gives an outline of home visiting programs that work, those with mixed reviews, and those that don’t work. Click here to read.

The 2010 Early Steps Statewide Meeting has been scheduled to take place in Orlando, September 29-October 1, 2010.  The meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday and will end at 1:00 pm on Friday and will combine the typical Early Steps Statewide Meeting with the Service Coordinator Statewide Training.

The room rate is $99.00 per night and will be valid 3 days before and 3 days after the meeting dates but are subject to availability.  Reservations must be made no later than Wednesday, August 25, 2010.  Please call 1-800-782-4414 to make reservations and be sure to indicate that you will be attending the Early Steps Statewide Meeting.

A draft agenda will be disseminated at a later date.  The meeting will offer general sessions with keynote speakers, breakout sessions based on topics suggested by the field, and roundtable discussions.

Please plan to attend this exciting and very informative meeting and stay tuned for additional information regarding the agenda and participant registration!  ESSO hopes to see you in late-September!